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An early-generation Rega Planar 3, dating from approximately the late 1970s to early 1980s and fitted with the highly regarded Grace G-707 tonearm.
This vintage Planar 3 retains its distinctive wood-trimmed plinth, smoked acrylic dust cover and heavy glass platter. It has recently been serviced, including a recap of the power supply and the installation of a Rega Reference drive belt, helping ensure stable and reliable operation.
The Japanese-made Grace G-707 is a lightweight, low-mass tonearm particularly well suited to higher-compliance cartridges. Paired with Rega’s simple and rigid belt-drive design, it makes this a distinctive example of one of Britain’s most enduring turntables.
Features and servicing
• Grace G-707 tonearm
• Rega Reference drive belt fitted
• Power supply recapped
• Heavy glass platter
• Manual belt-drive operation
• 33⅓ and 45 rpm playback
• Wood-trimmed plinth
• Smoked acrylic dust cover
• Vintage cartridge fitted
• Made in England
Condition
Presented in good vintage condition with cosmetic wear consistent with its age. The dust cover and plinth show some marks from normal use. Fully tested and operating correctly.
Approximate era: Late 1970s to early 1980s
This is a fair ask: NZ$1,250 sits just above the median NZ$1,166 for recent comparable listings, but still well inside the usual spread between NZ$911 and NZ$1,781. It is not a bargain, but it is also not an ambitious price for this model in the current used market.
A well-kept sample is worth paying for because this deck is a proven all-rounder: easy to live with, musical, and a strong platform for cartridge upgrades later. If the listing is clean, spinning properly, and comes with the original dustcover and a healthy belt, it’s a sensible buy at NZ$1,250; if any of those essentials are missing, I’d want a little room off that price.
Independent perspective — not a price guarantee. Always verify condition, accessories and provenance before purchase.
Rega Research, founded in 1973 in Essex, England, by Roy Gandy and Tony Relph, emerged from Gandy's lifelong passion for vinyl playback. A Ford engineer and music enthusiast, Gandy built his first turntable, the Planet, in his spare time, blending the founders' surnames to create the Rega name. From humble beginnings in a derelict mill, the company quickly gained traction with early models like the Planar 2 and Planar 3, establishing its heritage as a British hi-fi pioneer dedicated to precision engineering and hand-assembly.
Rega specializes in turntables and tonearms, its cornerstone products, but has expanded into a full ecosystem including cartridges, integrated amplifiers like the Elicit and Brio, phono stages such as the Fono, and speakers like the Ela series. While early efforts included loudspeakers and electronics from the 1980s onward, the brand prioritizes vinyl-centric components over headphones, DACs, or cables, all designed in-house for musical fidelity using specialist materials and tight tolerances.
Rega holds a revered position in the high-end hi-fi market as a niche boutique icon, prized by audiophiles for affordable, lifetime-quality performance that emphasizes music over gimmicks. Globally exported to over 50 countries from its Essex facility employing more than 150, it remains a symbol of British ingenuity, with turntables like the Planar series securing enduring loyalty among vinyl revivalists.
See all Rega listings on RADAR.
